Xian Mayes

Since joining Advantage Travel Partnership, Xian Mayes has been a driving force behind significant people strategy advancements, overseeing a remarkable 35% growth in headcount over 2.5 years. In 2024, her leadership was pivotal in strengthening organisational culture, enhancing employee experience, and optimising infrastructure to support a remote-first, high-performing workforce.

Xian led a comprehensive benefits overhaul, introducing enhanced parental and annual leave policies, increased life assurance, a new pension provider, and wellbeing and ESG initiatives. These changes have improved retention, engagement, and the organisation’s employer value proposition.

Operationally, she spearheaded the implementation of a new HRIS system and transitioned payroll to Tugela, boosting HR efficiency and virtually eliminating payroll errors, ensuring accurate and timely employee payments. Xian also played a strategic role in the acquisition of Cork, Bays & Fisher, reinforcing Advantage’s insurance capabilities and supporting talent retention through job role reviews and OKRs.

She fostered a connected, engaged culture by developing a robust Learning & Development programme and establishing new company values—SPIRIT—that now underpin daily operations and performance. In early 2025, Xian led the impactful People Conference, reinforcing the people-first culture and inspiring employee engagement.

Under Xian’s leadership, HR has evolved into a strategic partner, balancing business objectives with employee wellbeing. Her commitment to inclusivity and accountability has strengthened a high-performance culture and significantly boosted employee engagement, with the Net Promoter Score rising from 28% in 2023 to 46% in 2025.